"This light... damn it!" the black-robed man roared, seeming even more terrified of this move than Tang San and Xue Beng, who were both invaded by evil energy.

To avoid revealing his identity, even during his battle with Gu Rong, he hadn't released his martial soul and had been steadily losing ground. Now, he could no longer hold back.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Angelic Shield!" The black-robed man's martial soul emerged—astonishingly, it was an angel. Two yellow, two purple and five black soul rings, nine in total, revealed his Title Douluo strength. The difference: his angel wings were black, and he had only four.

A pitch-black shield completely blocked out the Five-Elemental Purification.

At the same time, his robe fell away, revealing an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.

"Could this martial soul be... the Four-Winged Fallen Angel!" Tian Lin exclaimed in shock.

It was the legendary opposite of the Angel martial soul—completely contrary to Qian Renxue's Seraphim; this was the embodiment of evil.

"Hmph, looks like I can't complete my lord's mission today. I'll withdraw for now!" The man prepared to leave, ignoring Xue Beng's fate.

"Trying to escape? Fourth Soul Skill, Bone Prison!" How could Gu Rong let him go? He instantly summoned a massive bone forest, sealing every escape route.

He also set up a spatial barrier overhead to limit the man's ability to fly.

Unfortunately, Gu Rong underestimated his opponent's decisiveness. A domain suddenly spread from the man's body, suppressing Gu Rong's strength. Then, black flames burst all over him. His last soul ring flashed violently, "Ninth Soul Skill, Turbid Demon Flame!"

A terrifying nether fire erupted, instantly destroying Bone Douluo's Bone Prison. After all, that was just a fourth soul skill, weakened further by the domain.

Gu Rong didn't have time to use his ninth soul skill; he had to protect the sect disciples first, as this Turbid Demon Flame had a massive area of effect.

The giant bone structure protected not only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's members but also the recently purified, still unconscious Tang San and Xue Beng.

After a long time, the demonic fire faded. Gu Rong withdrew his defense array. Although everyone was unharmed, the bodies of ten thousand soldiers had turned to ash, and the Fallen Angel Douluo had vanished without a trace.

"Was that just now... the Deathgod Domain?" Tian Lin was shocked. Gu Rong's strength had instantly dropped by about ten percent—that could only be the Deathgod Domain, right?

"No, not quite. That domain only weakened the opponent, but didn't strengthen the user. It's a weaker version of the Deathgod Domain—at best, call it the Killing Intent Domain!" Skydream Ice Silkworm denied it. "But regardless, this guy must not only be connected to Spirit Hall but also Slaughter City. After you reach Title Douluo, you'll need to go back to Slaughter City and investigate!"

"Mm!" Tian Lin nodded. He understood Skydream Ice Silkworm's concerns. The Slaughter King was simply too strong; if something had gone wrong there, Tian Lin would be unable to even protect himself now. It was better to wait until he broke through to Title Douluo before investigating.

Ning Fengzhi brushed away the smoke with soul power and said, "What a terrifying flame! I'd heard that the Angel martial soul masters holy, light, and sun powers, but I didn't expect the Fallen Angel to wield such powerful flames as well, though much more sinister."

"It's a pity he escaped, or we could have found the truth. I don't believe anyone with such a martial soul would side with Qian Daoliu or Bibi Dong. He claimed to be working for Spirit Hall, but he must be diverting suspicion." Gu Rong was quite upset. So close to the truth, but the enemy escaped so easily.

If he hadn't exhausted so much soul power fighting Falling Devil Douluo and defending the sect disciples, he could have taken him down.

"Alright, Bone Uncle, it couldn't be helped. We've been fighting nonstop all night and aren't at our best; otherwise, he wouldn't be your match." Ning Fengzhi consoled, "But at least the crisis is finally over. We can finally catch our breath. Let's take Xue Beng and Tang San back to the sect—oh, and send word to Prince Xue Xing to come get them."

After giving orders to a soul emperor who hadn't spent much power, Ning Fengzhi staggered towards the sect. Tian Lin hurried up to support him.

He understood completely: to survive the night, Ning Fengzhi had used up almost all his soul power, physical strength, and mental energy. Tian Lin himself was the same—if he and Tang San fought now, with both their HP and MP near zero, he might not even win.

"Uncle Ning, it's thanks to your planning that we achieved such victory," Tian Lin said as he supported him.

"My contribution is not greater than yours. Our victory was due to all of us working together." Ning Fengzhi smiled. In this battle, either one of them missing would have led to disaster for the sect.

Fortunately, fate allowed Tian Lin's strength and Ning Fengzhi's wisdom to coexist in the same era, creating such a powerful synergy.

"But I still wonder: how did you always deduce that Xue Beng was connected to Spirit Hall?" Tian Lin asked the question he'd been holding onto. If it were him, he wouldn't have suspected Xue Beng just based on his status.

"I never concluded anything—just reasoned it out. The emperor is gravely ill, and Xue Qinghe holds the real power, so what Xue Beng should do now is continue playing the libertine in public, while secretly building strength, then launch a swift coup and seize the throne.

Xue Qinghe's policies targeted soul masters and nobles, so many oppose his ascension, even some in the military, who shouldn't be involved in court disputes. Most generals just want more resources. Only a few like Marshal Ge Long are truly loyal to the royal family. They could have been Xue Beng's allies.

But Xue Beng openly vied for the throne at the worst possible time, attracting Xue Qinghe's attention and forcing neutral generals to take sides, resulting in Ge Long and others being sent to garrison the borders. The military's neutrality is iron law—no one dares break it openly!

With most generals gone, the palace guards soon fell under Xue Qinghe's control. Did Xue Beng do all this just to benefit Xue Qinghe? Surely he's not that foolish, or he wouldn't have survived as the only prince not eliminated by Xue Qinghe.

With most generals gone, Xue Qinghe gained command of the imperial guards. She could then easily bring in Spirit Hall's soul master hunters. Xue Beng's actions made me suspect he was helping Spirit Hall's soul-hunting plan.

Most importantly, he participated, and in such a major operation, Prince Xue Xing didn't show up. If he'd been there, he'd never have let Xue Beng do this—he knows the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School must survive. Otherwise, even if Xue Beng became emperor, without Title Douluos, the empire couldn't resist Spirit Hall or Star Luo."

Ning Fengzhi explained his entire reasoning to Tian Lin.

After listening, Tian Lin cursed himself for missing such obvious flaws in Xue Beng's behavior. He'd even wondered before why Xue Beng acted at the wrong time, but he hadn't dug deeper. If not for Ning Fengzhi's far-sightedness, the sect might have suffered greatly.

It seemed he couldn't always rely on foreknowledge; he needed to improve his wisdom and consider more possibilities.